It's Who I Am: Sheryl Thai

 

An all round Girl Boss

Given our passion for sourcing inspiration and supporting other women in business, we thought it would be a great idea to introduce you to an amazingly inspirational, go-getter, for the first instalment of our It’s Who I Am, blog series! A blog series where we’d like to share other amazing women’s stories, their journeys, and their tips and tricks to success!

Let us introduce you the incredible entrepreneur, leadership whiz, cupcake aficionado, Sheryl Thai! Sheryl is the founder of Cupcake Central, CEO of the League of Extraordinary Women, friend of ours, and an all time #Girlboss!

If the thought of being all of that gives you feelings of exhaustion - she must have secrets to her success! So we took the opportunity to ask Sheryl a few questions to find out what makes her tick, what she’s passionate about, how she finds balance, and to hopefully score a few cupcakes in the process!

 

 

What drives or motivates you?

That I was placed on this Earth for a reason.

 

We interview lots of entrepreneurs and find that many of them have a childhood business story, did you have any ‘business ventures’ as a child?

We once had to raise charity funds for our school, we had one day to bring in our products to sell to our schoolmates and teachers. So my group of friends and I, knowing that everyone loved food and sugar, we went around finding a cool product to sell. We found these giant rainbow sherbet straws that we just loved. Since we were raising money for charity and buying in bulk, I decided to ask for a huge discount and they said ok - score! We then realised we could open the packs of two and separate them to sell individually, which would make us more profit.

Since they were so colourful and great novelty, we were attracting everyone at school. Even kids from other schools started buying them off us on the train! We ended up selling out and making about $500 which was almost double any of the other groups. So not to look suss on how we raised so much money, we ended up treating ourselves to a nice lunch (ssssh, no one knows to this day!)

 

How do you find balance?

Over the years I’ve realised that 18 hours a day, 7 days a week of work - is not a life, even if it is something that you love doing! I now meditate most mornings. I’ve also just started the Miracle Morning which has been going for 6 weeks now and that really helps me achieve balance in my life as I have more efficacy in what I do meaning my time is freed up to enjoy it.
 

At Francesca we believe it’s so important to stay true to who you are, what are your values and how do you live them?

Honesty, integrity and growth. Each day, I spend time on myself first which helps me stay honest and true to myself. I feel as though I’m growing each and every day as I’m running my business, creating new exciting projects and working towards my goals.

 

What does success mean to you?

When I was younger, I had a clear plan and achievable goals which would mean that I had “made it”. Yet a funny thing would happen because when I’d reach there, I wouldn’t feel the happiness of success for long. The needle just kept on moving and the dissatisfaction kept coming back, I never could admit to myself that I was “successful”.

 

These days, success to me means a balance of growth and peace from within. I’ve now accepted that I am a “success” on my own terms because I’m doing what I dreamt about doing for years.

 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

“You’re the average of the 5 friends you spend the most time with”. I’ve found this to be so true especially going onto my 8th year in business and I spend time with friends that are compassionate, encouraging and also challenging because they want to see me grow.

 

If you could only choose one word to describe yourself, what would it be and why?

Potentiality.
Our strapline for Cupcake Central is Hatch That Dream. With my simple thought of changing the world and my obsession with cupcakes, I’ve been able to turn it into something that is real. We all have infinite potentiality within us and through my story of how I created a business, it can show others that no matter how big or small, awesome or silly your dream might be - you can manifest it into reality. I’ve had people tell me that baking cupcakes was “just a hobby” or that I could make a lot more money working as a consultant. For me, I wanted something more fulfilling. I wanted to change the world by simply putting smiles on faces when I presented them with a freshly baked cupcake.

 

 

 

Do you have a mantra?

Yes, it’s a secret mantra that I use in my Vedic Meditation practice.
 

Someone I find inspirational is. . .

Yvon Chouninard, Founder of Patagonia.

 

A book I’d recommend. . . 

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

 

Something that made me laugh recently. . .

was my friend accidentally asking in a group chat with guys if organic tampons are worth the money (my answer was yes!)

 

An entrepreneur I like is. . .

Brit Morin from Brit + Co.

 

 

Our Francesca Create charms all have special meanings so you can share #ItsWhoIAm with your personalised pieces. Why did you choose those charms and what do they mean to you?

Rose gold is my fav colour right now.
Aragonite - as I continually need to remind myself to be patient
Globe - reminds me how there’s so much to explore in this world and how everything is connected.
Aerial - represents freedom for me.